Automatic locking ratchet action ski binder



Aug. 21 7 1962 D. E. JOHNSON ETAL 3,049,734

AUTOMATIC LOCKING RATCHET ACTION SKI BINDER Filed Oct. 9, 1958 FIG. 7

y INVENroRS D. E. JOHNSoNt E.BARANY United States Patent O f 3,049,734 AUTOMATIC LOCIHNG RATCHET ACTEON SKI BENDER Donald E. Johnson and Edmund Barany, McHenry, Ill. Filed Oct. 9, 1958, Ser. No. 766,276 6 Claims. (Cl. 9-310) This invention relates to sporting and recreational activities enjoyed by a large number of people in widely distributed areas and to equipment employed in the pursuit thereof such sports including water skiing and the like.

The invention specifically is concerned with skis used in water skiing and which can be easily applied and adjusted with minimum edort, and from which the foot can be easily withdrawn.

Earlier devices have been unnecessarily complicated, have required too much time to apply and adjust to the size of the foot, were not reliable, and were subject to other criticisms.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improvement on similar devices heretofore produced and to provide relatively simple and inexpensive fastening means for attaching the skis to the feet as Well as to adjustment easily to the foot size.

Another object of the invention is to provide ski fastening means or a ski binder by which skis may be easily and quickly applied and adjusted to the desired size without the use of the hands or with minimum use thereof and in a minimum of time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ski binder which may be easily adjusted to the desired size and will remain in such adjusted position until it is desired to change the adjustment and which ski binder will eiciently and satisfactorily perform the services for which it was designed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating the use of one application of the invention;

FIG. 2, a similar enlarged central section of one of the ski binders;

FIG. 3, a further enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the rear portion of the ski binder of the preceding gure;

FIG. 4, a section on the line 4 4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5, a section on the line 5 5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6, a further enlarged section on the line 6-6 of FIG. 3; and

PIG. 7, a similar View with a spring 0f sponge rubber instead of a metal coil.

Briefly stated, the invention is an adjustable ski binder including a fixed elastic toe portion and an adjustable elastic heel portion. The elastic heel portion is attached to a heel plate having longitudinally slotted side portions odset slightly below the body of the plate. Fasteners are received in the slots and the slots and fasteners permit the heel portion to move lengthwise of the ski.

In addition to the side portions, the heel plate has an integral rearwardly extending portion, having odset portions corresponding to those of the side portions and which combines with the side portions to form a substantially Y-shaped plate. The rearwardly extending portion is provided with a centrally disposed slot located lengthwise thereof and a plurality of spaced openings along both sides of the central slot. A fastener is adapted to be received in the centrally disposed slot so that the heel plate can move only a limited amount along the length of ski to adjust to the size of the foot to which the ski is attached.

3,049,734 Patented Aug. .21, 1 952 ICC The fastener in the centrally disposed slot in the rearwardly extending heel portion is provided with a spring pressed latch in the form of a cup having depending latch projections for engagement with the spaced openings in the heel member, and a depending tongue for engagement with the centrally disposed slot, such cup being urged downwardly toward latching or locking position.

With continued reference to the drawing, ski bases 10 are provided with elastic toe receiving members 11 and reinforcing plates 11 secured by fasteners 12 in fixed relation on the ski bases and elastic heel engaging and receiving members 13 and reinforcing plates 13 secured by fasteners 14 to a supporting plate 15 adapted to be adjusted longitudinally of the ski toward and from the toe receiving member 11 to fasten the ski base to the foot of the wearer and adjust it to the proper size.

The supporting plate 15 is generally Y-shaped and is provided with side portions 16 having lower or odset marginal strips or lateral extremities 17 with longitudinal slots 18 in which are slidably received retaining fasteners 19. These fasteners may be screws threaded into the ski base Il@ a suicient distance to Ihold the plate 15 to the ski base but yet permit easy sliding movement of the plate along the ski base. The rearwardly extending central portion 2@ of the plate 15 having odset marginal strips 2d slidable on the ski base is provided with a central longitudinal slot 21 in which is received a pin or fastener 22 having a shoulder 22 which prevents lateral and vertical movement of the plate 15 but permits longitudinal movement along the length of the ski 10 thereby permitting the heel member 13 to be adjusted toward and from the toe member 11 to accommodate itself to the length of the foot to which the ski is applied. The odset strips 17 and 2G' decrease the area of contact of plate 15 with the ski base and thus reduce the friction of parts when the plate 15 is adjusted.

In order to retain the parts in adjusted position the plate 15 is provided with a plurality of spaced pairs of openings 23, one of each pair at each side of the slot 21. The openings 23 are adapted to receive tongues 24 attached to a body 25 and constituting a latch. In order to prevent the body 25 from turning and to keep the tongues 24 in alignment with openings 23, a tongue 24', see FIG. 5, may be attached to the body 25 and adapted to slide in the slot 21. The body 25 may be in any desired form such as in the form of a cup or in any other desired configuration and having a flanged portion 26 to aid in the gripping of the same. The latch body is provided with a central opening 27 in which the fastener 22 is received so that such latch can move axially of said fastener enough that tongues 24 are disengaged from openings 23 but not enough to disengage tongue 24 from. slot 21.

A spring 28 may be employed for urging the latch tongues 24 into contact with the openings 2-3 in the plate 15. Such 4spring may be a metal coil confined between the end of the latch carrying the tongues 24 and a retainer 29 bearing against a head of pin 22. Instead of the spring 28, sponge rubber or other resilient substance 30 (FIG. 7) may be confined between the bottom of the latch and the retainer 29.

The retainer 29 may be of washer like configuration for purposes of illustration although it may Ibe of other desired configuration.

Wi-th the, construction described, the exterior of the latch member and flange may be gripped and raised to release the tongues 24 from the openings 23 whereupon the platte 15 carrying the heel member 13 may be moved away from the toe retainer 11 and when the Iproper adjustment is made and the latch member Ireleased the spring 2S or ythe resilient substance 3d whichever is used, will cause the tongues 24 to engage the openings 23.

in order to facili-tate forward adjustment, the tongues 24 are provided with angular or cam portions 31 (FTG. 4) so that when force is applied against the rear edge of t-he plate the latch tongues 24 can `be caused to ride out of the openings 23 into the next successive pair of openings due to the compression .of the spring member 28 or 30. Thus when the adjustment is such that the heel retainer does not snugly engage the heel, force or pressure applied against the rear portion of the plate will cause the heelA member to move into snug engagement with the heel.

It -vvill be obvious to -t-hose skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope |thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the draW- ling and described -in the specification, but only as indicated in vthe accompanying claims.

What -is claimed is:

1. A ski comprising a ski base, Itoe and heel engaging members mounted on said ski base, one of said members being ax-ed to the base and the other slidable thereon, -said 4slidable member having perforations therein, a pin fixed to said base, a latch body axially slidable on the pin, spring means urging said latch body toward the perforations in the slidable member, and a tongue depending from the la-tch body engageable with a selected perforation in the member.

2. A ski comprising a ski base, toe and heel engaging members mounted on said ski base, one of said members being aixed .to the base and the other slidable thereon, said slidable member having perforations therein, a pin fixed to said base, a latch body axially, slidable on the pin, resilient means urging said latch body toward the perforations in the slidable member, and a tongue dependin-g from the latch body engageable with a selected peroration in the member, said tongue being provided with Ia cam portion to enable the latch body to be moved upwardly to free .the tongue from the perforation upon thrust applied in one direction to the slidable member.

3. A ski comprising a ski base, toe and heel engaging members mounted on said ski base, one of said members being axed to lthe base and the other slidable thereon, said slidable member having perforations therein, a pin xed to said base, a latch body axial-ly slidable on the pin, resilient means urging said latch Ibody toward the perforations in the slidable member, a tongue depending from the latch body engageable with a selected perforation in the member, and means preventing rotation of the latch body on the pin. Y

4. A ski comprising a ski base, ltoe and -heel engaging members mounted on said ski base, one of said members being aiiixed to the base and the other slidable thereon,

said slidably member having perforations therein, a pin xed to said base, a latch body slidable on the pin, resilient -means urging said latch body toward the perforations in the slidable member, a tongue depending trom the latch body engageable with a selected perrforation in 'the member, said tongue being provided with a cam portion to enable the latch body to be moved upwardly to free the tongue from lthe perforation upon thrust applied in one vdirection t-o the slidable member, and means preventing rotation of the latch body on the pin.

5. A ski compri-sing a ski base, toe and heel engaging members mounted on -said ski base, one of said members being affixed Ito the base and the other slidable thereon, said slidable member having perforations therein, a pin xed yto said base, a latch body mounted on said pin and slidable axially thereof, resilient means urging said latch bo-dy toward the perforations in the slidable member, a tongue depending from the latch body engageable with a selected perforation in the member, and means preventing rotation of the 4latch body on the pi-n, said last means comprising a longitudinal `slot in the slidable member and another tongue on the latch body riding in the slot.

6. A ski compri-sing a base, toe and heel engaging members mounted on said ski base, one of said members being ixed to said base and the other slidable thereon, said slidable lmember having a central slot and a plurality of perforations adjacent each side of the central slot, a pin extending through the 4central slot and being lixed to said base, la latch body axially movable on lsaid pin, resilient means urging said llatch body toward the slidable member, a pair of .tongues depending :from said latch body and engageable with selected perforations in said slidable member, and said tongues having cam portions to enable the latch body to be moved upwardly to free the tongues lfrom the perforations upon thru-st being applied in one direction to the slidable member.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 669,365 Lutts Mar. 5, 1901 2,327,783 Hains Aug. 24, 1943 2,382,149 Hartman Aug. 14, 1945 2,527,413 Grossman Oct. 24, 1950 2,701,734 Grossman Feb. 8, 1955 2,740,972 Taylor Apr. 10, 1956 2,823,397 Wagner Feb. 18, 1958 2,866,210 Romig Dec. 30, 1958 2,919,452 Kluge Ian. 5, 1960 2,933,741 Walter Apr. 26, 1960 

